Early morning Orioles notes

Good morning from Sarasota; apparently, I escaped the Mid-Atlantic just in time.

Although, in case you were wondering, it is only 60 degrees here this morning. I guess that doesn’t make things better when you have a snow shovel in your hand. I’m sorry.

So, while getting my feet wet in the clubhouse -- not literally, this isn’t the Fort Lauderdale clubhouse -- here’s what I have for you:

Nick Markakis (neck spasms) said he likely will not play tomorrow; if he does anything, it will be just light work. He’d play through it if this was the regular season.

The big happening today is a late-morning news conference with Henry Urrutia, the 26-year-old Cuba native whom the Orioles signed for nearly $800,000 last July. He has been entangled in visa issues, and is finally with the team.

The 26-year-old outfielder, who is potentially ticketed for Double-A, will meet the local press today.

Had a chance to talk with several players, including Nolan Reimold, who said the neck is fine and the right shoulder seems to be progressing. Reimold was the designated hitter Tuesday against the Toronto Blue Jays will fill the same role today against the WBC Spain squad, and obviously he wants to get back in the outfield soon.

He joked that he caught one lazy fly ball in the outfield this spring and hopes hitters can help him progress with the degree of difficulty as the spring continues.

L.J. Hoes is in center field for the second time in two days. That’s the benefit of Adam Jones being at the World Baseball Classic. Hoes played center field a lot at Bowie and some at Triple-A (along with Xavier Avery) and says he just wants to show he can handle it if needed. Remember, this guy was primarily a second baseman early on in his career.

Jones has been a mentor to Hoes, and they’ve chatted since Jones left Sunday to join the USA team. Hoes hopes to be able to catch next Tuesday’s USA game in Miami -- an off day for the Orioles.